Candle burners



Aug. 7, 1962 A. l. ROOT 3,048,025

' CANDLE BURNERS Filed June 28, 1960 m 'III'I'IIIII' I INVENTOR. 1414M.1. E007 Efiddfifi Patented Aug. 7, 1962 3,648,025 CANDLE BURNERS AlanI. Root, Medina, Ohio, assignor to The A. 1. Root Company, Medina, Ohio,a corporation of (ihio Filed June 28, 1960, Ser. No. 39,269

2 Claims. (Cl. 6721) A metal burner or follower as usually made forcylindrical candles has (in cooperation with its associated candle) afuel cup or bowl formed in part by an inwardly extending annular rib orflange adapted to form a seal in contact with softened or melted fuel(hereinafter usually called wax) at the top of the candle. Additionally,such metal burner has a skirt providing an internal cylindrical surfacecontiguous to and below the rib or flange and adapted to guide theburner for downward movement while holding the burner substantiallycoaxial with the candle.

Metal burners for candles, if properly designed and if made withsuflicient mass to insure effectual operation, i.e., descentproportionally to consumption of wax without allowing seepage of thewax, usually operate satisfactorily at various surrounding temperaturesif no relighting of the candles becomes necessary. When, however, thecandle flame is purposely extinguished after a desired period ofburning, and (considerably later, e.g., after the burner becomes cool)the candle is re'lighted, and further if during said period wax hasseeped out from between the inner burner wall surface and the adjacentwax body surface and has become solidified ad jacent or close to thelower rim of the burner skirt, unsatisfactory later burning operation isvery likely to result. The subsequent relighting will not be apt to befollowed by conduction of heat through the burner metal to theexternally exposed solidified wax soon enough or at a 'sufiiciently highrate to soften or melt the accumulation and prevent the burner frombecoming tipped thereby out of approximately vertical position,particularly if the accumulation is one-sided as it is more than likelyto be; Once such tipping reaches a critical point it tends progressivelyto increase, and, when unnoticed and uncorrected by personal attention,it will continue until either the flame becomes extinguished as bycontact of the wick with the burner or until the burner fall off thecandle. Either result obviously is highly undesirable.

Recognition of the commercially serious special prob lem involved in theuse of metal candle burners or followers as outlined above fordevotional use in churches is indicated by the recommendation on thepart of manufacturers that persons responsible for lighting, snuflingand relighting of devotional candles having (e.g.) metal burners shallbe cautioned to remove any observed ridges or accumulations of wax frombelow the burners before relighting the candles. Unfortunately adequateaccumulation-removing operations are apt to be neglected, largelybecause it is very diflicult under practical circumstances for thepersons involved to observe the very small accumulations such as cannevertheless cause serious malfunctioning,

The object of the present invention is to provide a largely metal burnerfor cylindrical candles, 'which burner is substantially seepage-proof,whereby relighting of candles having the present subject burners can besafely practiced (unwatched) without producing undesirable results Metalburners, pursuant to practice of the present invention, can be made tooperate without seepage (hence can enable snufiing and relighting asmany times as desired without requiring personal attention) by providinga very smooth-surfaced, relatively hard, imperforate, nonwax-absorptive,low heat conductive liner extending all around the interior of the metalbody and sealed thereagainst (i.e., cemented all around or mouldedagainst or in tightly press-fitted, sealed relation to the metal). Theliner should terminate upwardly a substantial distance below thedownwardly facing or shoulder surface of the bowl-constituting rib orflange.

The preferred material for the liner is extruded polyvinyl chloride(hereinafter usually PVC). Plastic mateterials other than PVC havingoperatingly equivalent physical characteristics can presumably be usedinstead.

The plastic liner material for the metal burner body should benon-flammable (usually classified elf extin-- guishing); should beimpervious to chemicals likely to be used for general washing purposes,as of tableware; should be non-absorptive to melted wax, low waterabsorptive and highly resistant to softening when subjected to boilingwater (i.e. during cleansing of the burners), andin order to preservesuitably smooth surface characteristicsshould have a hardness (RockwellR scale) of between R116 and R120. The importance of the smooth surfacecharacteristic is indicated by the fact that an accidental applicationof lacquer (conventional tarnish resistant treatment for brass) to theinterior of the PVC liner will cause sticking or in other words, failureof the burner to slide down the candle.

Apparently the plastic ilner hereof, when properly related in thickness,position, heat conductivity and density to the adjacent metal skirtportion and other portions of the burner, allows transmission ofinsufficient heat from the metal to the wax to melt the wax which liesbelow the upper limit of the liner; or, if any surface wax is meltedbelow that upper limit, then to check its flow by solidifying it beforeit can reach the lower limit or edge of the liner.

One unexpectedly and highly desirable result of the use of the presentinvention as outlined or described above is to make wick size inrelation to candle diameter much less critical than it usually is whenburners are used on the candles. An oversized wick (too large diameter)will usually produce seepage past the burner because of propagating amore intense flame than would a smaller wick. An oversize wick in acandle used with the present burner has much less detrimental elfect.

In the accompanying drawing, FIG. 1 is a longitudinal central sectionalfragmentary view showing the present burner in one form as applied toits associated candle and before lighting the candle.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the same candle and burner after thecandle has been burning for a considerable time.

FIG. 3 is a view partially similar to FIG. 1 showing a slightly modifiedburner construction.

In FIG. 1 a typical cylindrical solid fuel candle C is shown with aconventionally embedded central wick W. The wax body C is raised orprovided with a so called tip C around the upwardly projecting portionof the wick.

The burner B, as shown, is a tubular metal body having an internalannular rib or flange portion R and integral skirt portion S having anapproximately cylindrical bore 10. A concave top surface F of rib Rconstitutes in cooperation with the candle a fuel cup, as is usual.

Bore 10 of metal body B is sufficiently larger in diameter than is thecandle C to accommodate the plastic liner 12 which is designed to fitsnugly into the bore 10 and preferably be self-retaining in position, asby virtue of a press fit. The internal surface or bore 14 of the lineris larger than the external surface of the candle by an appropriateamount such that the burner can be easily slipped over the top of thecandle. Preferably the liner 12 is sealed against downward seepage ofmelted wax by being cemented in place in the bore 10 (cement not shown)as by an all-around application aoaaoaa of adhesive material which willnot be importantly deteriorated by applications of boiling water (anddetergent materials) such as are likely to be used in cleaning theburners of accumulated wax. A suitable adhesive material (cement) isbeing sold by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. under the trademark Pliabond.

The low-heat-conductive liner l2 (e.g. polyvinyl chloride tubing) can bevertically coextensive with the bore of the skirt portion S of the metalbody if no very unusual temperature conditions may be expected to beencountered. When, however, the surrounding temperature may fall belowexpected levels and when other unfavorable conditions may occur, as willbe explained, satisfactory operation can be assured by leaving anannular area of the internal metal surface exposed as at ltla betweenthe liner 12 and the rib or flange R. The vertical width of the exposedupper marginal bore surface portion lea in burners hereof for candles inthe neighborhood of 1 inch in diameter has proven satisfactory when saidwidth varies between and A; of an inch.

An unfavorable condition such as mentioned earlier is indicated in PEG.2 wherein the full-line-illustrated vertically disposed top portion W ofthe wick W is unusual. During the critical starting period theunsupported wic k often tends to bend at as W" (broken lines) so thatthe flame is displaced oil center and the rib R at one side of theburner is highly heated quickly while at the opposite side the ribremains comparatively cool long enough so that the burner is blocked byunmelted wax (not illustrated) from settling downwardly in the manner itusually does when the wick and flame remain nearly upright and centrallyof the burner and candle assembly. if the liner 12 terminates below therib R as shown there will be enough heat conveyed to the exposed metal,largely by radiation and through the fuel all around the burner, so thata one sided flame will not result in failure of the burner to settle ormove downwardly during the critical starting period.

The thickness of the liner 12 can vary. 7 Good results have beenexperienced with wall thicknesses betwen and for candles of between /8and 1 /8" diameter.

A chamfer, as at 115, within the lower end of the liner v is advisablein order to prevent sending of wax off the candle surface while applyingthe burner.

The mass of the burner is not increased over that of an all metal burnerby reason of provision of plastic liner 12 although an increase might beexpected on the theory that the low heat conductive liner would be lessslippery at the temperature required for an all metal (brass) burner todescend with consumption of wax. The herewith illustrated burner weighsless (slightly under 2 ounces) than the brass burner for a 1 /8"diameter candle which it has replaced, weighing 3 ounces.

In the modified construction according to FIG. 3, the plastic liner 12occupies in effect a counterbore 16b in the metal body B and the metalstep the is shown flush with the inner surface of the liner. Theconstruction, theoretically at least, could facilitate cleaning out ofaccumulated wax by removing the shallow internal groove (at Illa) ofPEG. 1. The FIG. 3 construction is somewhat less practical than that ofFIG. 1 because of the additional tool cost of a stepped diameter boreand the closer axial and diametrical tolerances required in practiceeffectually to eliminate the shallow groove.

1 claim:

1. A burner for a cylindrical candle, comprising a tubular metal bodyhaving an internal annular rib portion for sealing contact with wax atthe top of the candle and an integral skirt portion depending therebelowand having a cylindrical interior, an imperlorate internally smoothcylindrical liner in the skirt portion having an inner diameter selectedaccording to the diameter of the candle for guiding contact therewith,while maintaining the burner substantially coaxial with the candle, theliner comprising a dense, non-wax-absorptive, lowheat-conductive,non-flammable organic plastic material tightly fitting the skirtportion, the hardness of the liner material being approximately R116 toR120 on the Rockwell R scale.

2. The burner according to claim 1 wherein the top edge of the liner isspaced axially a substantial distance from the under side of the ribportion or" the metal body as on the order of to A; of an inch.

Switzerland May 16, 1936 Germany Feb. 11, 1921

